Evener for cotton-opening machines, &amp;c.



J. G. POTTER. EVENER FOR, COTTON OPENING MACHINES, 6w.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 19, 1912.

Patented Sept. 9, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

\\l ///d r A NVENTOR 9 (mm M5672 WITNESSES 25%;

J. O. POTTER. EVENER FOR COTTON OPENING MAGHINES, 6w. APPLIOATION FILEDAPR. 19, 1912.

1,072,649, Patented Sept. 9, 1918.

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COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH cm. WASHINGTON, l1v C.

s ren JAMES CHARLES POTTER, or PAWTUCKET, :anonn ISLAND.

' nvnivnn FOR common-OPENING MACHINES, &c.

To aZZ "whom/t1? may concern: v

Be it known that 1, JAMES C. POTTER, of

Pawtuoket, in the county of Providence, and I in the State of RhodeIsland, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Evenersfor Cotton-Opening Machines, &c., and do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear,'and exact description thereof.

Cotton opening machines are provided with an evening mechanism thatautomatically regulates the speed of the feed rollto suit the thicknessof cotton delivered thereto the aim being that, regardless of thethickness or number of laps received by the feed roll, the lap deliveredas the product of the machine will be of uniform gage. Said eveningmechanism comprises a pair of cone drums belted together, one of whichcones is geared to the feed roll, and the other to a source of power,and the belt is automatically shifted along the cones to vary the speed.This point might be anywhere along the cones, and so near the endsthereof as to fallow but little automatic movement of the belt in onedirection and hence diminish materially the scope of automatic variationof the speed of the feed roll, with'the result that an abnormalthickness, or an abnormal thinness of cotton delivered to the feed rollcould not vary the speed of the feed roll to meet the condition, so thatthe product delivered by the machine would be defective.

The principal object of my invention is to obviate this condition, andrender available the travel of the cone pulley belt the entire lengththereof for the automatic control of the speed of the feed roll.

-In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a View partly in verticalsection and partly in side elevation; Fig. 2 is an end elevationthereof. I

Referring to the drawings the evener mechanism shown, as in the case ofmy patent referred to, comprises two cones 10 and 11, and a belt 12 thatis shiftable along Specification of Letters Patent.

the same by the action of a system of scale levers, not necessary to bedescribed as the construction and operation'thereof are usual. On oneend of the shaftof the upper or driven cone, is a pinion 13 which isremovably secured to the shaft so that pinions of different size may beemployed and,'hence, the speed of the gear 14 with which such pinionmeshes, be varied. A change gearing is thus provided, and as is usualwith change gears, the wheel 14 is journaled on a yoke 15 hungconcentric with the shaft 16 of the. gear 17 which, through a pinionlS,receives motion from the wheel 14. The gear 17 is the pinion carrier ofa differential gear of usual construction, including a ratchet wheel 19on the shaft 16, adapted,

Patented Sept. e, 1e13,

Application filed April 19, 1912'. Serial No. 691,941.

when motion is to be imparted to the shaft 16 from the differentialgear, to be held by a pawl 200. The ratchet wheel 19 by a sleeve 20, isconnected with the gear 21 with which the planet pinion 22 meshes aswell as with the sun gear 23 keyed to the shaft 16. The pawl, at will,may be rocked into and out of ratchet wheel-engaging position by asuitable handle connected with a rod 24, which is attached to the pawl.On the shaft 16, is a bevel pinion 25 in mesh with a bevel gear 26 onthe shaft 27 of the usual feed roll 28.

It will be seen that the running of the feed rollis wholly under thecontrol of the pawl, and as the latter is very light, but

little effort is required to move it to engage Y the ratchet wheel toplace the feed roll in operation, and to disengage theratchet wheel todeprive the feed roll of power.

To secure variation in the weight or thickness of lap delivered from themachine, all

that is necessary is to change from a pinion of one size on the drivencone shaft to one of a different size, and not shift the belt of thecones at all, and hence, the latter for its normal position is always atmidlength of the cones so that the entire range of automatic change offeed roll speed, which the length of the cones affords, is available,and automatic control of thickness of the finished lap is secured underextremes of variation not possible where the normal speed of the feedroll is obtained by adjusting the belt of the cone gearing.

I employ no worm gearing between the driven cone and the feed roll, and,hence,

endwise pressure from that source being eliminated, the sensitiveness ofthe evener is increased.

Having thus describedjmy invention what I claim is- 1 r i V 1. In anevener mechanism for cotton openers, etc., the combination of the feedroll thereof, a belt and cone gearing, the belt being automaticallyshiftable along the cones, and means independent of shifting the beltfor varying the speed of the roll. relative to the driven cone.

2. In an evener mechanism for cotton openers, etc., the combination ofthe feed roll thereof, a belt and cone gearing, the belt beingautomatically shiftable along the cones, and achange gear connectionbetween said feed roll and the driven cone.

3. In an evener mechanism for cotton openers, etc., the combination ofthe feed roll thereof, a belt and cone gearing, the

belt being automatically shiftable along the cones, a difierential gearconnection between the feed roll and the driven cone having a pawl andrat,chet,an d meansto operate the pawl of the differential gear'tocontrol the running of the feed roll.

43 111 an evener mechanism for cotton openers, etc., the combination ofthe feed roll thereof, a belt and cone gearing, the belt being"automatically shiftable along the cones, and a change gearconnectionbetween said feed roll and the driven cone, comprising a trainof gears that includes a removable pinion on the cone shaft and ashiftable intermediate gear meshing with the pinion. In testimony that Iclaim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand.

JAMES CHARLES POTTER. Witnesses:

EARL H. ROBERTS, ELVERY LINGARD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G.

